The invention relates to a fitness monitoring device and, more particularly, to a pedometer which records the distance a walker or a jogger covers by responding to the user""s body motion at each step.
To measure the walking or jogging distance covered by a user, both mechanical and electronic pedometers have been developed. Such pedometers consist of mechanical or electronic circuits which sense the body motion of the user at each step. Typically, such pedometers are worn on the side of the user such as by being clipped to a belt or the waistline of the user""s pants in the manner of a pager or the like. Other known pedometers are worn on a user""s wrist.
Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,891,042 provides one example of a fitness monitoring device having an electronic pedometer in combination with a wireless heart rate monitor. In this patent, an electronic pedometer is formed as part of the circuit which receives the wirelessly transmitted heart rate signals. As shown in FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,891,042, the fitness monitoring device, which includes the electronic circuitry of the pedometer integrated together with or without a wireless heart rate monitor, is clipped to a user""s waistband.
In general, both mechanical and electrical pedometers include two components, a first of which is designed to sense the steps of the user, and the second of which processes signals indicative of the steps into useful information. As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,891,042, a microprocessor is used to process the information signals and is integrated with the step sensing circuitry either in a unit designed to be clipped onto the user""s waist or in a form strapped to a user""s wrist. Such known pedometers, however, are oftentimes disadvantageous, especially when worn as a watch-type of device on a user""s wrist. This is because the required circuitry, especially for electronic pedometers, tends to consume a large amount of space and energy, thus requiring a bulkier wrist-based device accommodating a sufficiently sized battery. When the wrist-based device is combined with other sensing functions, such as a wireless heart rate monitor, watch functions, etc., the problem is further aggravated.
There is therefore needed a pedometer which overcomes the above problems. This and other needs are met by the present invention which provides a remote pedometer in which the pedometer sensor signal is wirelessly transmitted to a wrist-based device, such as a watch-type of device for display to the user. This wireless transmission of the pedometer sensor signal allows the step sensing function of the pedometer to be separated from the processing function. As a result, the step sensing function can be performed by a circuit in a unit which clips to a user""s waistband, socks, shoes, etc. The output signals can be wirelessly transmitted to a wrist-based watch device for processing and more convenient display.
By providing such a remote pedometer, the wrist-based device can be made more compact and simpler, while allowing more functions to be incorporated therein. Furthermore, by separating the step sensing function from the processing function, separate batteries can be provided to perform each function, which leads to an increased operating life of the system.
Heretofore it has been unknown to provide a remotely located pedometer which wirelessly transmits its signal to a wrist-based device for display and interpretation. Of course, such a remote pedometer can be combined with a wireless heart rate monitor or other devices.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.